Life In Pieces - General Discussion

[possibilities]

Blakeston, thanks for the name directory. I basically had no idea what any of the characters were called, except for the baby.

 

I thought the girls got the photo with Mall Santa because one of them actually wanted it. She said something about how she knew it wasn't the real Santa, it was just one of his helpers... and the other two girls gave embarrassed looks to the camera (one of their friends believes Santa is real? At their age!?) but decided to indulge her because it was less embarrassing than telling her most people out-grow the "real Santa" idea as little kids. I thought it was actually supposed to be showing that the girls were being sweet, despite how surly the one is with her mom most of the time-- like that was the secret holiday spirit she showed outside the family.

 

And then she got lice and the sullen cynical teenage facade returned.....

 

I'm sure Mall Santa got lice from one of the kids who'd visited him, not the other way around. But you know the media will play it as "Lousy Santa infects kids" rather than "kids give lice to Santa."

[Perfect Xero]

Not trying to be a smart-ass, but isn't that what we mean by doing it ironically? Sometimes I feel so out of touch with the ironic concept these days.

 

I guess that depends on how you define "irony" in this. To me this was just people who celebrate Christmas posing for a Christmas themed picture to show their friends. I didn't get the sense that they were mocking the guy dressed as Santa or the idea of being excited about Christmas.

[possibilities]

James Brolin talks about the show (and his other projects): http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/television/info-2015/james-brolin-celebrity-news.html?cmp=SL-DSO-OUTBRAIN-DESKTAB-ENTERTAINMENT-ENTRSS-MIXED-DIVERS_Brolin+on+Streisand%3A+%27My+Wife+Is+Delicious+and_1148392837_941349

[Pop Tart]

Heather and Tim finally find another couple they actually like to socialize with, but Sophia and their son don’t hit it off. Also, Greg insists he and Jen take separate flights in case something happens to the plane, Matt and John take Gary (Martin Mull) out to meet women, and Matt’s ex-wife, Bonnie (Brenda Song), surprises him with a visit.

Edited January 8, 2016 by Pop Tart

[Pop Tart]

I laughed quite a bit for this one. Loved the reason for why the boy had bit Sophia - because she scared the crap out of him by playing 'bloody Margarita' (was that what she called it?) And I really think they're starting to take more and more advantage of Colin Hanks abilities with physical comedy. The whole bit on the plane with Greg and the Great Dane was great, as were all of Jen's attempts at not being discovered on the flight. And ending the bit with the dog (Penny?) up in first class getting a cookie? Loved it. 

 

I didn't love the appearance of Matt's ex-wife but sighed over his declaration of love to Colleen, perfectly capped by his getting tangled in the mic's cord.  The other parts weren't quite as funny but I still enjoyed them.

[iMonrey]

I may be alone in this but I feel like Martin Mull feels shoe-horned into every show he appears in. He's just always . . . Martin Mull. An actor in search of a series for the past 40 years. He hasn't done anything decent since Fernwood 2-Nite went off the air in the 1970s and he's been bouncing around from sitcom to sitcom ever since. I'm just kind of tired of him. 

[ae2]

Marshall Faulk! I hope we see him again. But... where does this show take place that they were excited by Rams tickets? I had it in my head that it's in the LA area (which I guess could work with the prospect of moving the team). Anyway, I was so happy that BOTH the husband and wife instantly recognized him.

 

Martin Mull IS always the same obnoxious character. With this playing right after BBT, it occurred to me that Mull's character is Stuart in another 25 years. I could live without both of them.

[possibilities]

While I was watching, I kept thinking I was learning the characters' names. I was pretty excited about it. Aha! That one's named ____. This one's named _____! But now I don't remember any of them, other than the baby's name is Lark, which I already knew.

 

Do doctors usually go out to dinner with patients?

[tenativelyyours]

As much as I actually don't like relationship sitcoms and hate when sitcoms have to 'couple up', I feel the strongest and most interesting element in this show is the couple coming together (garage living son with the woman whose ex-fiance was living with her at the start).  They are the most interesting.  Not just with each other but how they interact with the rest.  The man's relationship with his sister in previous episodes.  His rivalry and same shared look at various other members of the family with the Colin Hanks character.  He saves the forced horrific mean spirited looniness of the parents.  And the girlfriend also has saved the brother in law character and the selfish dick of a dad (Brolin) in various episodes. 

 

I think the show would be better if the four parts aspect was dropped and still be an ensemble that revolves around this odd but engaging couple as they try to come together and figure things out. 

 

Now granted. I'd be fine if they dropped the crazy over the top parents who are written in a way that the makes me think daffy is supposed to offset grasping self-involved behavior.  And the Colin Hanks and the Bakkedahl guy are way over the top in how the characters are written and then given to two hams that just fell out of their cans.  So maybe a family tragedy involving pilot dad, his wife and those two men could happen?

[ProudMary]

As much as I actually don't like relationship sitcoms and hate when sitcoms have to 'couple up', I feel the strongest and most interesting element in this show is the couple coming together (garage living son with the woman whose ex-fiance was living with her at the start).  They are the most interesting.  Not just with each other but how they interact with the rest.  The man's relationship with his sister in previous episodes.  His rivalry and same shared look at various other members of the family with the Colin Hanks character.  He saves the forced horrific mean spirited looniness of the parents.  And the girlfriend also has saved the brother in law character and the selfish dick of a dad (Brolin) in various episodes. 

 

I think the show would be better if the four parts aspect was dropped and still be an ensemble that revolves around this odd but engaging couple as they try to come together and figure things out. 

 

Now granted. I'd be fine if they dropped the crazy over the top parents who are written in a way that the makes me think daffy is supposed to offset grasping self-involved behavior.  And the Colin Hanks and the Bakkedahl guy are way over the top in how the characters are written and then given to two hams that just fell out of their cans.  So maybe a family tragedy involving pilot dad, his wife and those two men could happen?

I'm fine with what you've envisioned here.  I'm ONLY still watching this because of Thomas Sadoski anyway (once an actor's appeared in a Sorkin show, I usually become a fan), so a show concentrating on Matt and Colleen's burgeoning relationship works for me.  I'm not sure why I'm continuing with the show because of the 12 episodes that have aired, I've truly only enjoyed the Thanksgiving episode.  At least one of the segments each week causes me to feel embarrassed for the characters.  I'm not sure that's what the writers are going for but that's the outcome for me and that's not good.

[Blakeston]

When Jen bought the first-class ticket, I assumed that Greg would be suffering in coach while she was surrounded by luxury. But then he got to sit next to that adorable dog! That's the greatest airline seat ever, as far as I'm concerned.

[leighdear]

Jill the dog was pretty damn adorable.  

 

And I agree that Martin Mull could be jettisoned completely without any loss to the show.  I did enjoy how Matt broadcast his available status to the ladies in the craft store though.  I also like how he almost strangled himself in the spinning class to tell Colleen he loves her.  Sweet. 

 

So is Matt going to start painting for Wendy's new gallery?  Is she going to be joining the cast?  My DVR cut out early.  

[Beezella]

I so adore Colin Hanks. Quick rewatch before deleting - Colin on the plane feeding pretzels to that giant dog face, got a flashback to Turner and Hooch.

[whatsatool]

Just a great ensemble.

[AnnaRose]

When Jen bought the first-class ticket, I assumed that Greg would be suffering in coach while she was surrounded by luxury. But then he got to sit next to that adorable dog! That's the greatest airline seat ever, as far as I'm concerned.

 

I didn't think Jill the dog was adorable, but Colin was.   I totally love him.  The actress who plays his wife on this show is great also.  They have a very nice chemistry together.

[tenativelyyours]

Wow that was a pretty bad one.  The yardsale had potential but wasn't given enough complexity.  Due to time.  The lobster story was pretty trite and the health club story practically came in a jewel case with the security tag half cut off it was so dated and done.  I don't think I found anything laugh out loud funny. 

[BusyOctober]

Colin Hanks gets better every week.  I always enjoyed Tom Hanks in "Bosom Buddies" and his comedic roles in movies and it looks like he's passed his sense of timing on to his son.  In my opinion, Colin is even better at the physical stuff than his dad.  Love the 10 year gym membership...that lasted 1 day.

[Kanner]

I really like the characters on this show.  I wasn't really into this episode though.  Definitely not enough Matt more me.

[mansonlamps]

College: you should join my gym, it helped me lose sixty pounds.

Matt: Yeah! Wait...what?

Colleen: Uh huh, takes giant bite of something fattening looking.

Me: LOL!

[ae2]

This wasn't as laugh out loud funny as some other episodes, but I think it struck some great notes. It was almost the perfect blend of character screen time, with the only exception being Matt and Colleen deserve a little more.

 

The grandparents are best in very small doses where they play off everyone else. Both of them sitting on the couch giggling about the vodka. James Brolin tip-toeing away with his box of junk. Perfect!

 

Unfortunately, the little "coming up on Life in Pieces" clips take ALL the funniest moments. 

[iMonrey]

 

I really like the characters on this show.  I wasn't really into this episode though.

 

That kind of sums up how I feel about all the episodes. I mean, I've gotten a chuckle here and there, but on the whole the show just doesn't make me laugh like some other shows do. Love the cast, but the writing just isn't quite there. Not for me anyway. I really think Colin Hanks has the strongest character out of the lot of them and tend to enjoy his scenes in particular, but I'm just not getting a lot of laughs out of this thing.

[Traveller519]

It's as Sitcom-ey as a Sitcom can be and I'm okay with that. It very much feels like a throwback, but there's something comfortable about that. You know the characters and flush out their little quirks.

 

It pairs up well with a Big Bang Theory Thursday night when my brain's been fried from the week and I just need something easy to watch before bed.

[Browncoat]

My biggest issue with this ep was the whole lobster thing.  It's an Atlantic lobster if it's from Maine -- aren't these folks meant to be in California?  Thus they released the lobster in the Pacific Ocean.  How's it supposed to get back to Maine?  Even if it didn't still have the rubber bands on its claws. 

 

Otherwise, not a horrible ep.  I did like the gym membership bit.

[Perfect Xero]

I feel like the 4 short stories set-up of the show holds it back at times. There's a story that I'm enjoying like the gym bit and then it's over with 23 minutes left in the episode. Or the lame party/hotel story which had potential (even if it's a very old sitcom standard), but it felt like half the story was setting it up, then there was a joke about the son's band being lame, and then it's over.

I really like the cast and the characters, but I think the show might be more enjoyable in a more traditional A, B, C story set-up or even just cutting it to 2 or 3 short stories each week so each segment had a little more chance to breath..

[AnnaRose]

I feel like the 4 short stories set-up of the show holds it back at times. There's a story that I'm enjoying like the gym bit and then it's over with 23 minutes left in the episode. Or the lame party/hotel story which had potential (even if it's a very old sitcom standard), but it felt like half the story was setting it up, then there was a joke about the son's band being lame, and then it's over.

I really like the cast and the characters, but I think the show might be more enjoyable in a more traditional A, B, C story set-up or even just cutting it to 2 or 3 short stories each week so each segment had a little more chance to breath..

I've been thinking the exact same thing. I wonder if they would be open to changing the basic gimmick of the show? I think it could be so much better if they did.

[needschocolate]

They are going to run out of ideas sooner than most sitcoms, because they try to cram so many stories into each episode.  

 

I really like the cast and the characters, but I think the show might be more enjoyable in a more traditional A, B, C story set-up or even just cutting it to 2 or 3 short stories each week so each segment had a little more chance to breath..

 

I've been thinking the exact same thing. I wonder if they would be open to changing the basic gimmick of the show? I think it could be so much better if they did.

 

They don't have to change the gimmick - it can still be life in pieces, they just need fewer pieces. Having three stories instead of 4 and getting rid of the "next on..." time waster (I don't think they convince many people to stay tuned, most were planning to anyway - plus it often ruins the punch line) would give them enough time to make each story more well-rounded.

[Blakeston]

I really didn't care for the gym storyline. I'm really sick of all the gags based on, "Look at these silly suburban dads trying to be manly - they're such wusses, but they don't know it!"

 

We get the idea, writers - we really do.

Edited January 16, 2016 by Blakeston

[stcroix]

I've watched this season on Amazon Prime and thought it was just ok.  The last two nights I've been rewatching them out of pure boredom and was shocked at how much I'm really liking it now!  I don't know if I just needed time to get into the characters or what.  I watched this last episode just a few minutes ago and totally enjoyed it.  I came on here to see what everyone was saying and was surprised to find the general consensus being that it was pretty much a dud....  I do agree that the segments are too short.  Maybe the writers should study how Modern Family does it a little closer ;)  I hope they give us another season to see if it's going to be worth watching.

 

One thing I seem to be out of the loop on is that I cant stand the guy who is married to the sister :(   He is repulsive to me.  I had hoped to like him by now but he's just gross.   People on this message board seem to like him and I cant figure out why! 

[possibilities]

I like the show, I just don't always have much to say about it. One of the things I like is that the conflicts in the plots are not usually about conflicts within the couples (I hate shows about a shrew and her manchild), and when they are, at least there are the other stories to take the edge off that annoyance.

[kirkola]

My biggest issue with this ep was the whole lobster thing.  It's an Atlantic lobster if it's from Maine -- aren't these folks meant to be in California?  Thus they released the lobster in the Pacific Ocean.  How's it supposed to get back to Maine?  Even if it didn't still have the rubber bands on its claws. 

 

Otherwise, not a horrible ep.  I did like the gym membership bit.

 

The lobster bit did not go where I thought it was going.  I expected them to "release the lobster" for the kids sake and then have a bigger fish or a random stranger grab the lobster with a face that said "yum....dinner".  I was even half expecting someone to turn around and comment on Maine being so far away that poor Billy would be alone.

 

I really wasn't expecting the Grandfather to be the catalyst nor the rubber bands bit.  Frankly it never occurred to me that they'd allow their star (James Brolin) to hold a lobster without the rubber bands and clearly the Production Assistant or whomever was gonna have to go after the lobster to retrieve it from the ocean, so the bands being left on made sense in a reality-type way.

 

Of course, I'm actually happier when I can't predict how the sitcom bits are going to go.  I mean, the gym bit was funny because Colin Hanks really sold it.  But on the whole most of that segment was fairly predictable.

[roughing it]

 

One thing I seem to be out of the loop on is that I cant stand the guy who is married to the sister :(   He is repulsive to me.  I had hoped to like him by now but he's just gross.

A funny segment would be to show what he looked like in HS or college - that he was this really hot stud back then who now looks like this.  It happens...

[Spicymustard]

I actually laughed a lot at this episode. The square dancing at the gym had me cracking up. I've hated the four short story format since day 1 though. Everything seems too rushed.

[NYGirl]

I have to say that I watched the pilot and hated the show.  But for some reason a couple of weeks ago I watched again and I now love it.  Theres not much on TV that actually makes me laugh out loud but this show definitely does.

[Traveller519]

This isn't epsidoe specific, but regarding the format, they work best when they cross streams (sorry). The Thanksgiving episode was probably the best example of that.

[Perfect Xero]

 

Greg and Jen slip away for a couples massage; Tim, Heather and the kids have a contest to see who can accumulate the least trash; Colleen asks Matt to illustrate a children's book that she's writing; and Jen helps Joan and John with their will.

 

If there was already a topic for this episode, I couldn't find it.

 

I thought this was one of the better episodes of the series, the couple's massage went surprisingly dark

[Blakeston]

I loved the massage bit. The "I guess everyone needs to remember to breathe" part just about killed me.

 

I just can't anymore with James Brolin's character, though. An old man who acts like a selfish five-year-old isn't cute to me.

[tenativelyyours]

I liked the idea of the massage but once again the structure of the show deprived it of what I thought was nice and sharp under the darkness.  Had the scenes been interspersed with others I would have enjoyed it more.  Some of the lines and bits, like the remember to breath line and the LifeFlight moment.  Instead it had a sort of muddled bit of time. 

 

I enjoy the actress who plays the younger daughter.  But I'm not buying the outright devious behavior.  I'm not sure how to define it.  But as silly as it was, her telling her uncle dessert was on the house was good.  Her vacation machinations somehow weren't.  It would have been funnier if she was flushing to deliberately clog the toilet and then make her alliances based on catching her parents that way. 

 

I can really do without the parents except in the whole family scenes. 

 

And again.  Just to get one last whack at the dead horse.  The opportunities to explore the money thing regarding the free will writing etc, could have been a fantastic whole episode since there are so many little nuances.  Broke brother in the garage.  The lawyer wife making more money than her husband ( I believe) and yet he is the one kvetching about the money with the siblings.  There really is a rich vein to mine and it got a quick almost clumsy little look.  And the four moments might work better if they tied them into each other better.  They feel too disconnected and I sometimes forget less than a week later which were the previous four that were in one episode.  The massage bit could have been tied better into the maybe the mother 'paying' for the will write with the coupon.  That they gave her.  The vacation could have been tied into a windfall that the others felt should have been used to pay the share of the legal fees.  The brother takes the illustrating bit at first to pay his part.   It is weird how the four segments seem to each exist in it's own vacuum of time and place within this single group's lives.

[random chance]

I agree, the four-pieces gimmick is killing this show.  I've watched pretty much all of the episodes so far and these people are still complete strangers to me because they're all just part of a bit.  The will bit, the garbage bit, the massage bit. It doesn't really matter who's in the bit, because the bit is the important thing.  This is not a character-driven show, it's a bit-driven show. And even then, that wouldn't be so bad if the bits were all fantastic, but they mostly aren't. 

[needschocolate]

I liked the idea of the massage but once again the structure of the show deprived it of what I thought was nice and sharp under the darkness.  Had the scenes been interspersed with others I would have enjoyed it more.  Some of the lines and bits, like the remember to breath line and the LifeFlight moment.  Instead it had a sort of muddled bit of time. 

 

Bingo! I was thinking that it was the cramming 4 stories into one episode that kept this show from being as good as it could be, but I hadn't realized that the biggest problem was that each story is told separately.  I suppose if they really interwined the stories, they'd be like all the other sitcoms and would lose there premise/theme/gimmick.  Still, it would be so much better if they tied them together somehow, even if they didn't start one story until the prior story was done.  

 

This is like a rehash of "Love, American Style," changing the name to "Family, American Style" - but, as cheesy as it was, Love usually fit 3 stories in an hour, having four in a half hour makes each story so fast that that it is just "bits" not stories, as Random Chance said.  

Edited January 23, 2016 by needschocolate

[ae2]

I'm going to be contrarian and admit I like the separate stories routine. It allows them to explore stories that are too small or too different to fit in a typical sitcom. Stories that sometimes don't have tidy little plots, but are simply funny moments. They don't have to try to shoehorn stories together, or make dubious connections so each separate plot thread is wrapped into a tidy package with a moral lesson on top. 

 

Some shows excelled at interweaving plots - Seinfeld in particular. I'm enjoying one that tells tiny separate stories that have nothing to do with one another.

[Blakeston]

I enjoy the actress who plays the younger daughter.  But I'm not buying the outright devious behavior.  I'm not sure how to define it.  But as silly as it was, her telling her uncle dessert was on the house was good.  Her vacation machinations somehow weren't.

 

I'd love to see a sitcom where they do a plotline like this, and a bratty kid lies and cheats to win, and so the parents say, "Forget it, you cheated, you lose."

[MaryMitch]

Did anyone else find it odd that the children were expected to pay for preparing the will? I mean, free or not, it's the parents' responsibility to take care of that.

[joanne3482]

Did anyone else find it odd that the children were expected to pay for preparing the will? I mean, free or not, it's the parents' responsibility to take care of that.

I think they didn't realize there would be fees not associated with the wife's time. They seem the type of family that uses the services that the others can provide. I'm sure the doctor husband writes scripts for the kids' ear infections and probably stitches them up when there's a minor injury. In those scenarios he wouldn't use an outside person who would charge a fee. I would imagine, but could be wrong, if he had to send for lab tests for someone, the appropriate family would pay for them, he wouldn't pick up those costs. 

 

I totally didn't get, until I read the description, that it was a contest to see who GENERATES the least trash. Since middle child's vacation idea was to pick up trash, I figured it would be to see who could pick up the most. It also seemed odd that they were including things that could be recycled as part of the trash generation. That Amazon box and much of the packing materials could have been recycled and shouldn't have counted against dad. (Honestly after 14 episodes I still only know the baby's name is Lark. Everyone else's name is a mystery.)

[Jodithgrace]

I think that the problem with this show is that the writers are too focused on the structure of the show, sometimes at the expense of the stories. Why do there have to be 4 stories every week? I think they could mix it up a bit, sometimes having only 3 or even 2. It's not like a family sub group would be slighted, since they are all in each other's plots anyway. And If a family group does get slighted one week, they could have a bigger storyline the following week. I would rather see three strong stories than 4 weak or rushed ones.

 

I for one could have done without the trash episode, which didn't make a lot of sense, and had  an expanded will episode, which featured the whole family anyway.

[joanne3482]

When Joan's freewheeling nephew, Mikey, comes for a visit, the family members are on edge since nobody really likes him. Also, Tyler brings Clementine, to visit his great-grandmother, Greg and Jen find a solution to their sleeping woes, and Matt takes over for Tim as Sophia's soccer coach.

[mansonlamps]

Honestly after 14 episodes I still only know the baby's name is Lark. Everyone else's name is a mystery

 

 

I'm so proud of myself, I know Colin Hanks's wife's name is Jen, the unmarried couple is Matt and Colleen, the littlest girl is Sophia and I believe Grandpa is John and Dad of three is Tim - not positive on those two.  After 14 weeks, I got that far!

 

 

Edited because I apparently do NOT know the difference between Tom Hanks and Colin Hanks.

Edited January 26, 2016 by mansonlamps

[MaryMitch]

I wasn't too keen about Cousin Mikey. But I loved seeing Ann Morgan Guilbert (Millie Helper!) as the great granny.

 

And the little girl passing out comment cards for the soccer parents - that actually sounds like a good idea.

[Blakeston]

i really, really hope they don't bring back Cousin Mikey. He wasn't funny, he was just unbearable.

 

And I completely disagree with the whole moral of the story, ie "so what if he's awful, he's family!" If your relative injures you, and you tell him that he injured you, and he reacts by doing the exact same thing that injured you because he thinks it's funny, then you should get a restraining order against him.

[jjj]

 I loved seeing Ann Morgan Guilbert (Millie Helper!) as the great granny.

Never saw this show, but when I saw Ann Morgan Guilbert on the screen, I had to watch.  Are all this episodes this disjointed?  Four or so minutes per story?  I kept thinking she would be back later in the episode.  (She's 87!  Was much younger than I thought when she was Millie Helper!) 

[tenativelyyours]

It's funny how the show can pursue the same general theme and have it fall annoying flat one episode and yet work for me another.  For some reason, this time the niece working towards her own benefit in the soccer story worked.  I liked that she and her friend liked having a coach that wasn't a everyone gets to play type.  No life lessons here simply tapping into what works for everyone actually involved.  The guy who lays Matt?  Girlfriend with the ridiculous cleavage (though I think that makes for a funny ongoing bit) is right.  He does have a sexy mouth.  Along with the rest of him. 

 

The story with Gigi was cute if a little predictable in various areas.  I saw the pharmacy joke coming but it still worked. 

 

The couch and the cousin bits were flat and seemed way too long compared to the soccer one.  But Colin Hanks is just so bad it almost makes it funny.  Watching him "act" is like seeing a bubble over his head and in it is a hamster running in its wheel hell bent for leather.